April 15, 2024 Group Watch: Day-by-Day, Play-by-Play
Tuesday, 20th day:
- The House Ways and Means Education Committee approved several bills relating to the education budget, including supplemental appropriations for multiple agencies and the appropriations for the support, maintenance and development of public education for debt service and for capital outlay for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025.
- The Senate Shelby County Legislation Committee approved a House-passed bill authorizing public library districts to further provide for the election of the library board.
- The House passed bills to authorize dentists to access controlled substances prescription databases and to make the Department of Youth Services responsible for certain county detention facility costs under certain circumstances.
- The Senate passed the Alabama Clean Indoor Air Act, which prohibits smoking and now vaping in public places; a bill to prohibit public contracts with entities affiliated with the Peoples Republic of China; to further provide for the Alabama workforce Transformation Act; and to establish the Alabama Workforce Pathways Act that creates varying pathways for high school diplomas based on future career plans.
Wednesday, a committee day:
- The House Education Policy Committee approved the Alabama Workforce Pathways Act to create different pathways for high school diplomas based on future career plans.
- The House Health Committee approved a bill designating the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission as having the sole authority over regulation, licensing and enforcement of cannabis cultivation.
- The House Ways and Means Education Committee approved bills to create the Alabama School of Healthcare Science; to levy an additional 1.5% SSUT to be distributed to each municipality; and to create the Alabama Workforce Housing Tax Credit.
- The Senate Finance and Taxation Education Committee approved a bill to require research-based instruction on fentanyl prevention and drug poisoning awareness in grades 6 through 12.
- The Senate Education Policy Committee approved House-passed bills to define the role of assistant principal as assisting the principal with certain duties, including student discipline; to require public K-12 schools to have an assistant principal subject to the availability of funds; and to increase the maximum compensation for members of local boards of education subject to the completion of certain continuing education requirements being met.
- The Senate Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee approved bills to require the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission to issue an increased number of licenses to eligible applicants and to provide that the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission is primarily responsible for the regulation, licensure and enforcement of cannabis cultivation.
- The Senate Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development Committee approved a bill to provide that the additional state sales tax rate assessed on alcoholic beverages sold in an ABC retail store shall be equal to the combined county and municipal general sales tax rate assessed to the county and municipality where the transaction occurs.
Thursday, 21st day:
- The House passed a number of bills including those to enhance the minimum sentence for human trafficking; expand the category for voluntary commitment to include individuals with co-occurring substance use disorder; and provide for an alternative teacher certification.
- The Senate passed the General Fund appropriation bill to fund non-education components of government and included supplemental appropriations for certain entities for the current year and a cost-of-living increase for state workers for the FY25. They also provided appropriations for non-state entities like Alabama Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
